Wabash County getting nearly $9 million for roads, bridges through 2022

Sixteen of those projects are located within Wabash County, the most significant of which include structural repairs along Ind. 15 and preventative maintenance along Ind. 13 near Wabash that will commence in 2020, according to INDOT.

Those projects alone account for nearly half, or $4.5 million, of the estimated $8.7 million in maintenance and construction INDOT plans to complete in Wabash County by 2022.

In total, INDOT will resurface about 60 miles of state lanes and repair or replace 11 state bridges in Wabash County by 2022, according to the project outline.

Funding was made available after legislators agreed on a long-term infrastructure spending bill earlier this year. The bill called for higher vehicle registration fees, particularly for electric vehicles and hybrids, as well as a 10-cent per gallon increase in the state’s gasoline excise tax.

The five-year plan was made public by INDOT on Thursday, nearly one month after Holcomb asked the agency to produce a list of projects that could be completed by 2022.

This funding is in addition to grants for local road and bridge projects made available by the State legislature in 2016 and 2017.

Wabash County received about $1.1 million in Community Crossings grants last year, the majority of which will fund reconstruction of North Wabash Street in Wabash. Other projects in LaFontaine, North Manchester and Lagro received funding as well.